Erie vs Nationwide

Continued from above...

It's fast and easy to get a policy online. For many, it's a great decision. However, when it comes time to make a claim, you might not have purchased the right policy for you. For example, you may not have considered flood or earthquake insurance. You might not have insured your very valuable items individually, and if they're stolen, they're probably not covered.

On the other hand, if you work with an agent to get your policy, they will probably ask you a myriad of questions to get the policy you need. Online can be great, just be sure you know what you want in a policy.

Here are a few things to consider when purchasing a homeowners policy.

• Standard coverage. What does the standard policy include?
• Add-ons you might need. You might need insurance for floods, earthquakes, or hurricanes. You might want to insure specific valuables under a separate policy so you know they are covered..
• The limits of the coverage. Limits are the maximum amount they would pay out per situation. Make sure the limits are high enough to cover your costs.
• Your deductible. This is the financial responsibility you will have per occurrence. If you don't want to pay much per occurrence, you'll lower your deductible, but pay more in your yearly premium.
• Discounts. There can be a few discounts that could pertain to you, depending on your situation and depending on the insurance company. You might qualify for a discount if you have had no claims, have a new house, are a senior citizen, have an HOA, and the list goes on.
• Reputation of the company. More reliable companies might cost you more, and the less reliable companies might be super inexpensive. Beware: you might get what you pay for.

To provide you with the best information so that you can get the right policy and best insurance company for you, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the most popular sources of homeowners insurance available today. Getting the right policy is like cuddling with a warm blanket, since you'll have that assurance you'll be covered if any damage or destruction to your home. The process of choosing a homeowners insurance policy might have seemed daunting and you may have avoided it for as long as you can, but we can help make it easy.